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| Sudan 'crimes charges' worry UN | Sudan 'crimes charges' worry UN |
| (30 minutes later) | |
| UN officials say they expect the International Criminal Court in The Hague to issue an arrest warrant for Sudan's President Omar al-Bashir. | UN officials say they expect the International Criminal Court in The Hague to issue an arrest warrant for Sudan's President Omar al-Bashir. |
| The charges could include war crimes, crimes against humanity and genocide. | The charges could include war crimes, crimes against humanity and genocide. |
| UN officials fear this could bring reprisals against peacekeeping forces in Sudan's Darfur region. | |
| Mr Bashir has said his country faces a "vicious campaign". He denies charges that his government was behind the violence in Darfur. | Mr Bashir has said his country faces a "vicious campaign". He denies charges that his government was behind the violence in Darfur. |
| His government says it had no role in organising the Janjaweed militias to take revenge on Darfuris after black African rebels took up arms in protest at alleged government discrimination in 2003. | His government says it had no role in organising the Janjaweed militias to take revenge on Darfuris after black African rebels took up arms in protest at alleged government discrimination in 2003. |
| Since then, the UN estimates that some 300,000 people have died and more than two million have fled their homes. | |
| The United Nations and African Union have a joint peacekeeping force in Darfur. But it has just 9,000 of the planned 26,000 troops and has been struggling to contain the violence. | |
| UN alarm | UN alarm |
| The ICC accuses the entire Sudanese government of war crimes in Darfur. | The ICC accuses the entire Sudanese government of war crimes in Darfur. |
| This is laudable in theory, but this would be an initiative fraught with risk for the people of Sudan, Analyst Julie Flint Viewpoint: Intervention will not work | |
| ICC prosecutor Luis Moreno-Ocampo is to submit evidence to judges on Monday. | ICC prosecutor Luis Moreno-Ocampo is to submit evidence to judges on Monday. |
| The charges against Mr Bashir could include war crimes, crimes against humanity and genocide. | The charges against Mr Bashir could include war crimes, crimes against humanity and genocide. |
| The BBC's Laura Trevelyan at UN headquarters says there is considerable alarm about the political consequences of such a move. | The BBC's Laura Trevelyan at UN headquarters says there is considerable alarm about the political consequences of such a move. |
| Officials fear peacekeepers in Darfur may be attacked in retaliation. | |
| There is concern that the fragile Darfur peace process could be further weakened, along with the shaky peace in South Sudan, where a separate civil war ended in 2005. | |
| There are also UN peacekeepers in South Sudan. | |
| On Tuesday, seven Darfur peacekeepers died and 22 others were injured, seven critically, in an ambush - one of the deadliest assaults on UN forces in recent years. | |
| The UN says its peacekeepers fought for over two hours to repulse suspected Janjaweed fighters, who were armed with mortars and rocket-propelled grenades. | |
| The Sudanese government blamed rebel groups for the attack. | |
| Sudan analyst Juliet Flint told the BBC that if Mr Bashir was indicted, it was coming at an "inopportune moment". | |
| ""This is laudable in theory, but this would be an initiative fraught with risk for the people of Sudan," she said. | |
| "There is no doubt that the war in Darfur was orchestrated at the highest level of government," she said. | |
| But Mr Bashir could easily clamp down on aid agencies and the peacekeeping force in the region, she said. | |
| Sudan does not recognise the International Criminal Court, and has refused to hand over a government minister and militia leader accused of war crimes last year. | Sudan does not recognise the International Criminal Court, and has refused to hand over a government minister and militia leader accused of war crimes last year. |
| Ali Kushayb, a leader of the Janjaweed militia, and Ahmad Harun, Sudan's current humanitarian affairs minister have both denied involvement in war crimes. | |
| The two men are charged with 51 counts of war crimes and crimes against humanity, including acts of murder, persecution, torture, rape and forcible displacement. | |
| Are you affected by the issues in this story? What do you think of the UN's plans to issue an arrest warrant for President Omar al-Bashir. Send us your comments using the form below. | Are you affected by the issues in this story? What do you think of the UN's plans to issue an arrest warrant for President Omar al-Bashir. Send us your comments using the form below. |